Raise the sails on the schooner Mystic Whaler. Learn how to navigate a ship by the sun and the stars, while exploring the constellations that still guide sailors and discovering how the moon controls the tides. Work alongside scientists from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University to learn about the geology of the Hudson River and Manhattan. This will be an en enjoyable day of science on the New York Harbor that you’ll never forget.

3:00 - 5:00 PM*

7:00 - 9:00 PM*

5:30 - 6:30 PM | Free deck tours, conditions permitting.
*Arrive 20 minutes before sail time

After 17 years underground, cicadas throughout the Northeast are emerging in time for the 2013 World Science Festival to sing, mate and die. Amid a buzzing, whirring chorus, we examine the extraordinary mating rituals of these and other six-legged creatures to find out what their songs are saying, why they’re saying it, and how this knowledge is impacting our understanding of communication, behavior, and the ecosystem. The conversation is punctuated by a musical performance between the bugs and their human collaborators. Ticket price includes one All-Garden Pass for the day to The New York Botanical Garden, granting access to exhibitions and programs including Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World, The Edible Garden, and Science Open House behind-the-scenes tours (first come, first served).

“Dance” under the stars and join professional and amateur astronomers for a free evening of urban stargazing. It’s an outdoor party beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and the twinkling canvas of the night sky, and a night to explore and discover the vast wonders of the cosmos. Bring your telescope if you have one, or use one of the dozens we’ll have on hand. Enjoy conversations with leading astronomers and live music to celebrate the astronomical event “Dance of the Planets,” at this communal stargazing experience. The festivities will feature astronomy groups from around the Tri-State Area, family-friendly activities, twilight sailing of the Schooner Mystic Whaler, refreshments, local food trucks, and more.

Roll up your sleeves and dig into science through all-new interactive exhibits, games, shows, and performances at the Ultimate Science Street Fair. Aspiring scientists of all ages investigate in “Science Centers” of biology, climate change, energy, math and technology, chemistry, and more. Earn an Ultimate Scientist certificate by logging experiences throughout the day.

Start your full day of fun by producing energy comparing walrus and warthog teeth,  code your own computer game, learn how your brain works, examine live mutant worms, and more! 

Register your family for the Ultimate Science Street Fair to receive the latest updates on events, a handy map, schedule, scientist data log to track your activities, and more, to get the most out of this exciting day!

Head into the field with Evolutionary Biologist, John Cooley, of the University of Connecticut. Using the tools of a scientist, gather cicadas from the wild and learn to speak their language. Gain observation and data collection skills and understand why cicadas are so unique and important

Learn how insects speak and sing through sound analysis. Ron Hoy will use digital voice analysis, musical instruments, and maybe a Madagascar cockroach to demonstrate the similarities between the sounds that bugs make and the human voice.
Parents: This is a drop-off program for children. There is a waiting area nearby.

Ever wonder what a whale sounds like and how we know? Join Arctic whale research scientist Kate Stafford, University of Washington,  to use spectrograms, listen to whale sounds and record your own whale calls.

The World Science Festival’s highly celebrated program, Cool Jobs, is back with an astounding line-up of the coolest scientists around. Curious about developing a team of robots that can search and rescue while mapping their surroundings? Did you know it takes a scientist to make our grocery store foods delicious? Think it’s possible to shrink a lab test so small that you can’t see it? Or make interactive games that aren’t in a computer? Look no further! The World Science Festival has assembled the coolest group of scientists with the coolest jobs who will answer these questions and much more. Start on your own quest to find your Cool Job—a science Job!

Examine the cellular structure of a plant using a microscope with NYU biology professor Kenneth Birnbaum. Determine how plants move and respond to gravity, all in a working lab, alongside real scientists.

Join science journalist, Cara Santa Maria, for a one-of-a-kind experience to scope out a good story, craft it into a solid piece of journalism and publish it on the World Science Festival’s website

Have you ever wondered how bridges with enormous spans can stand hundreds of feet above land or water? In this apprentice program, taught by Engineering for Kids, apprentices design, build, and test their own balsawood bridges and other types of bridges to study structural loads.

What do you get when you mix engineering, computer science, and math? A robot. In this apprentice program, students will work with University of Michigan’s Edwin Olson to program and drive a robot through obstacles and mazes.

What Is Time? When you’re having fun, time flies, but when you’re bored, time moves like molasses. Do animals experience time like we do? How about time travel? Is it possible? What did Einstein figure out about time? Experts on physics, psychology and animal cognition take a crack at answering these complex questions with the help of actor and science lover Alan Alda and an audience full of curious kids like you.

Join University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist, Amanda Kinchla to see what’s cooking in a food lab and just how much science you need to know in this yummy apprentice program. Test the strength of gel by creating gummies, pull real iron out of cereal with magnetics and evaluate your senses by experiencing just how much color influences your taste.

Think your brain looks like a walnut or a big wrinkly sponge? Take a look deep inside the brain of a sheep in this dissecting lab with New York University’s Wendy Suzuki. Research alongside our neuroscientist to explore just what makes us move, think and grow strong.